Overload-clutch.



B. P. RINDFLEISCH.

OVERLOAD CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22. 1914.

1,1 18,683, Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN BINDFLEISCH, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL ACME MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A

CORPORATION OF OHIO.

OVERLOAD-CLUTCH.

Application filed April 22, 1914. Serial No. 833,585.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. RIND- FLEISCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Guyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Overload-Clutches, of which the following is a specification.

The present improvement relates clutches, and more particularly to that class thereof known as overload clutches, the object of the invention bein to provide an improved overload clutch W ich will be positive in its action and so avoid the wear which is always present in a friction clutch, and which clutch will be simple in construction and durable and effective in use.

In the drawings accompanyin and formin part of this specification, Flgu're 1 is a si e, partly sectional, view of this improved clutch, showing one position thereof; Fig. 2 is a substantially similar view, showing another position thereof; Fig. ,3 is a detai partly sectional View of the clutch end of the mechanism; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the clutch end of the mechanism, showing the clutch members separated.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawi s.

The clutch, 1n the preferred form thereof shown, comprises a driving member and a driven member, which latter is adapted to drive various kinds of mechanism, but in the present instance it is shown driving a Worm wheel 100 through the medium of a worm 101. Any suitable means may be utilized for driving the clutch, but in the present instance a driving spur gear 103 is shown. This gear is fixed to a shaft 2 suitably supported in any desired way, and loosely mounted on this shaft is located the Worm 101, which in the present instance is formed as a part of one of the clutch members. Loosely mounted on the shaft 2 is another clutch member 4, which member comprises a pair of members or collars 5 and 6 connected together by a series, shown as four. in number, of spiral spring 7 Secured to the shaft 2 at the outside of the member 5 is an adjusting nut 8, which nut is'turned on to the threaded end 9 of the shaft 2, and is maintained in place by a set screw 10.

The members 3 and 6 of the clutch are pro-" vided with cooperating lugs or teeth 11 and 12 respectively. Secured to the shaft 2, be

tween the members 3 and 6 of the clutch, is a driving pin 13, which pin, when the clutch members 3 and 6 are in engagement, is normally carried in a recess 14 of the clutch member 6, and the clutch member 6 is provided with a cam surface 15 of sufficient inclination or pitch to enable the pin 13 to completely separate the teeth 11 thereof from the complementary teeth 12 formed by the recesses of the member 3 when the driven mechanism is under an overload. The springs between the members 5 and 6 normally maintain the member 6 under pressure and the cooperating teeth 11 and 12 in engagement, at which time the pin 13 is within the recess 14 in the manner shown in Fig. 1, whereupon motion will bp transmitted from the drivin member of the clutch to the drivenv mem er and thereby to the worm 101 and worm wheel 100. From this it will be observed that from one point of view the driving member may be said to consist in the present instance of a laterally extending pin carried by a rotating member or shaft, while the driven member comprises a plurality of clutch membersseparable one from another, but from another point of view it may be said that the driving member consists'of a laterally extending pin carried by a rotatable member or shaft and a spring-pressed member adapted to co6pcrate therewith and carrying means or teeth for cooperating with similarly formed teeth of the driven member.

The adjusting nut 8 is for the purpose of increasing the tension of the springs; in,

other words, to regulate the resistance of the springs, the greater the tension that is placed on the springs the greater the load the clutch will carry without separation of the clutch members. When too great a load is placed on the clutch mechanism it overcomes the resistance of the springs, and in consequence the pin 13 is forced out of its recess and into the cam path between the clutch members 3 and 6, whereupon, bv reason of the inclination of this cam path, the clutch member 6 is forced away from the member 3 and the teeth of the two members T separated, whereupon further rotation of the'member 3 and the worm 101 ceases and strain upon the mechanism is relieved. In

short, when the amount of power required to drive the Worm exceeds the pressure of the springs and the resistance of the angle on the lugs or coiiperating teeth and the pin groove, the springs are then compressed, allowing the member 6 of the clutch member 4.- to be forced away from the member 3 of the clutch by the pin engaging with the cam or inclined surface adjacent to the recess. This camming movement is aided by the normal action of the ta ered sides of'. the teeth as the teeth are withdrawn from their cooperating recesses or teeth.

When the springs are compressed as shown in Fig. 2, the relation of the shaft 2, adjusting nut 8, clutch members 5, and 6, and pin 13 remain the same and all revolve to gether. But as the teeth 11 have been separated from-the cooperating teeth 12 of the clutch member 6 the clutch member 3 and the means driven thereby, in the present instance the worm, stand idle. It will be noted that the clutch members 5 and 6 are free on the shaft except when the recess 14c of the member 6 is in engagement with the driving pin 18, but that the tension of the springs and the action of the driving pin 13 cause the members 5 and .6 torotate with the shaft when the machine is under load, and when under load, with the driving pin in its recess, thebearing of the recess and pin is suficient to drive the machine under normal load, especially as the recess is maintained in contact with the pin 13 by the tension of the springs. When the driving and driven clutch members have separated by a reasonable overload they may be reset in any suitable manner, usually by means of a crank provided for that purpose.

I claim as my invention:

1. An overload clutch comprising a driven member having a clutch face, and a driving member includin a fixed part and a loosely mounted part a so having a. coiiperating clutch face and a cam surface and recess cooperating with said fixed part, and means for normally maintaining said clutch faces in engagement.

2; An overload clutch comprising a driven member having a clutch face, and a driving member comprising a rotary shaft extending through said driven member and including a' fixed part and a loosely mounted part thereon also having a cotiperating clutch face and a cam surface and recess coiiperating with said fixed part, and means for normally maintaining said clutch faces in engagement.

3. An overload clutch comprising a driven member havin a clutch face, and a driving member inclu ing a rotating member having a laterally extending pin and a loosely mounted part also having a cooperating clutch face and a cam surface and recess cooperating with said pin, and-means for normally maintaining said clutch faces in engagement.

a loosely mounted member carried by sai mis es 4. An overload clutchcomprising a driven member having a clutch face, and a driving member including a fixed part and a loosely mounted spring-pressed member also having a cooperating clutch face and a cam surface and recess cooperating with said fixed art.

5. An overload clutch comprising a driven member having a clutch face, a driving member including a fixed part and a loosely mounted spring-pressed member also having a cooperating clutch face and a cam surface member including a rotary shaft extending through said driven member and having a laterally extending'fixed pin and a loosely mounted member carried by said shaft and also having a cooperating clutch face and a.

cam surface and recess cooperating with said pin, and means for maintaining said cooperating clutch faces in engagement.

8. An overload clutch comprising a driven member having a clutch face, a driving member including a rotary shaft extending through said driven member and having a laterally extending fixed pin and aloosely mounted member carried by said shaft and also having a cooperating clutch face and acam surface and recess cooperating with said pin, and means for malntalmng sald cooperating clutch faces in engagement andv comprising one or' more springs.

9. An overload clutch comprlsmg a driven member having .a clutch face, a driving member including a rotary shaft extending through said driven member and having alaterally extending, fixed pin and aloosely An overload clutch comprising a driven; 'member having a clutch face, a driving mounted member carried by said shaft and also having a cofip'erating clutch face and a cam surface and recess cooperating with said pin, and means for maintainingsaid cooperating gzlutch faces in engagement and comprising a plurality of spiral compression springs. I

10..An overload clutch comprising a driven member having a clutch face, a rivingmember including a rotary shaft. extending through said driven member and having'a laterally extendingfixed pmand shaft and also having a cooperating clutch face and a cam surface and recess cooperating with said pin, and means for maintaining said cooperating clutch faces in engagement and comprising a plurality of spiral compression springs and means for increasing the resistance of said springs.

11. An overload clutch comprising a rotary shaft having a laterally extending pin, a driven member loosely mounted thereon at one side of said pin and having clutch teeth, a two-part driving member also loosely mounted on said shaft at the o posite side of said pin, one of said mem ers having cooperating clutch teeth and a cam surface and recess for cooperating with said pin, and a spring'or springs located between said two-part member for maintaming the cooperating clutch teeth in engagement.

12. An overload clutch comprising a rotary shaft having a laterally extending pm, a driven member loosely mounted thereon at one side of said pin and having clutch teeth, a two-part driving member also loosely mounted on said shaft at the opposite side of said pin, one of said members having cooperating clutch teeth and a cam surface and recess for cooperating with said pin, a spring -or springs located between said two-part member for maintammg the cooperating clutch teeth in engagement, and means for increasing the resistance of said spring or springs.

13. An overload clutch comprising a rotary shaft having a laterally extending pin,

a plurality of loosely mounted members on said shaft, a pair thereof having cooperating clutch faces and located at opposite sides of said pin and one having a recess and a cam surface cooperating with said pin, and means for maintaining said clutch faces in engagement when the pin is in said recess 14. Anoverload clutch comprising a rotary shaft having a laterally extending pin, a plurality of loosely mounted members on said shaft, a pair thereof having cooperating clutch faces and located at opposite sides of said pin and one having a recess and a cam surface cooperating with said pin, means for maintaining said clutch faces in engagement when the pin is in said recess,

and means for increasing the resistance of said last means.

15. An overload clutch comprising a rotary shaft having a laterally extending pin, a plurality of loosely mounted members located on said shaft, a pair thereof having cooperating clutch teeth and located at opposite sides of said pin, one of said members having a recess and a cam surface cooperating with said pin and said last member also comprising a two-part member, and yieldable means located between said two-part member for maintaining said cooperating clutch teeth and located at opposite sides of said pin, one of said members having a recess and a cam surface cooperating with said pin and said last member also comprising a two-part member, yieldable means located between said twopart member for maintaining said clutch teeth in engagement when the pin is in said recess, and adjustable means also carried by said shaft for increasing the resistance of said compression means. t

17. An overload clutch comprising a rotary shaft, means thereon for rotating it, a. pin carried by said shaft, a loosely mounted member on said shaft at one side of said pin and having clutch teeth and also havmg a worm rotatable therewith and a loosely mounted member on said shaft at the opp'osite side of said pin and having cooperating clutch teeth and a cam surface and recess for cooperating with said pin, a loosely mounted member also on said shaft, a compression spring or springs between said last two members for maintaining said clutch teeth in engagement when the pin is in said recess, and adjustable means also carried by said shaft for increasing the resistance of said spring or springs.

18. An overload clutch com rising a plurality of rotatable members aving cooperating clutch faces, means for maintaining a pair of said members normally in contact and the clutch faces .in engagement, and means for driving said members when in engagement and for separating the same uner an overload and comprising a rotary member, a projecting pin carried thereby and located between said rotatable members, one of said rotatable members and said. projecting pin constructed to normally perm1t the engagement of said rotatable members and to effect the separation thereof under an overload.

19. An overload clutch comprising a plurality of rotatable members having cooperating clutch faces, means for maintaining said clutch faces in engagement, and means for driving said members when in engagement and for separating the same under an overload and comprising a rotary member, a fixed part carried thereby and located between said rotatable members, one of said rotatable members and said fixed part constructed to normally permit the engagement of said rotatable members and to effect the separation thereof under an overload.

20. An overload clutch comprising a plurality of rotatable members having cooperating clutch faces, means for normally mlaesa maintaining the clutch faces in engagement, in, said recess the engagement of the clutch and means for driving said members when faces of the rotatable members and the sepain engagement and for separating the same ration of such clutch faces When the pin under an overload and comprising a rotary is in engagement with the cam surface.

5 shaft extending through said. rotatable Signed. at Cleveland, in the county of 15 members and having a laterally projecting Guyahoga and. State of Ohio.

pin located between-said rotatable members, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN RENDFJLEISCH. one of said rotatable members having a cam Witnesses: I surface and a recess cooperating with said 1*. E. Boron,

in pin thereby to permit when thepin is With- W. L. BAKELAR, 

